Layered Vegetable Torte

If you’re at all like me, you tend to over shop at the farmers market. Everything looks so darned good and fresh and healthy! Who cares that I don’t like zucchini when that cute basket is full of such a pretty combination of green and yellow—stripes, dapples and solids? And the eggplant—such luscious shades of purple and lavender, the plump Italian variety and the petite Japanese—those colors go so well in my kitchen!

On and on it goes with all varieties of carrots, peppers, potatoes, etc., plus our garden is now producing cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, beans, and herbs galore, so I’m all for recipes that incorporate many different types of produce into one dish. Thus I was thrilled to come across this Layered Vegetable Torte from New York Times Cooking, one of my go-to sites when I’m looking for inspiration. Featured are great recipes by Melissa Clark, Mark Bittman, Martha Rose Shulman, David Tanis and more, plus the occasional classics of Julia Child and Jacques Pepin. So many talented chefs sharing their knowledge  in one place—cooking nirvana!

Making delicious use of generous amounts of zucchini/summer squash, eggplant, tomatoes, garlic, basil and portabella mushrooms, you can now go back to the farmers market and stock up with a clear conscious. Vary the veggies if you wish, incorporating bell peppers, onions, cooked greens, etc. if you’re not feeling the zucchini or mushroom love. Eggplant makes a nice base, so I’m not sure you’d want to swap that out.

Serve on top of a puddle of spicy arrabbiata or marinara sauce and/or a wee bit of pesto and you’ve got yourself a sophisticated, healthy and hearty meal that will stimulate the senses and satisfy your appetite. Enjoy!

• Servings: 4-6
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Adapted from this Mark Bittman recipe

1 large or two small eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch slices

4 medium zucchini or yellow squash, cut into 1/4-inch slices

2 Portobello mushrooms, cut into 1/4-inch slices

½ cup extra virgin olive oil, or more as needed

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 plum or regular tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices

2 tablespoons minced garlic

¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves

¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan

½ cup bread crumbs, preferably whole wheat and preferably fresh

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Brush eggplant, zucchini and mushrooms lightly with half the oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you don’t have access to a grill, you can roast the vegetables at 400 degrees F. in the oven using two oiled baking sheets. Roast or grill vegetables on both sides until soft—about 10-15 minutes whether on the grill or in the oven.

Coat the bottom and sides of an 8-inch spring-form pan with olive oil (if using a 9-inch pan, increase the veggies a bit). Layer a third of the eggplant slices into bottom of the pan, then layer in half the zucchini, mushrooms, tomato, garlic and basil, sprinkling each layer with a bit of salt and pepper. Repeat layers until all vegetable are used. Press the top with a spatula or spoon to make the torte as compact as possible. Sprinkle top with Parmesan and bread crumbs, and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon oil.

Bake the torte in oven until hot throughout and browned on top, about 30 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before removing the outer ring of pan, and then let cool for another 10 minutes before cutting into wedges. Serve with red sauce and/or pesto, if desired. Makes 4-6 servings.

Korean Eggplant Tacos with Kimchi Mayo

Sometimes I feel guilty about my cookbook collection. Not that I have so many (really, can one EVER have too many cookbooks?!?), but that I ignore some and go years without opening them. Such as been the case with Vedge, from the owners/chefs of the vegan Philadelphia restaurant of the same name. I’ve had the book for well over a year, and today is the first time I’ve made a recipe from it. Resulting from a purposeful pledge to make something from those cookbooks I’ve neglected, what better way to start than with one I’ve yet to use.

One of my favorite TV food shows is “Chopped,” on the Food Network. Four chefs compete through three rounds of appetizer, entrée, and dessert using the “mystery basket” ingredients. A chef is eliminated each round and the one remaining after dessert wins $10,000. Typically not vegetarian cooking, this show often features animal foods such as beef tongue, rocky mountain oysters (bull testicles), or a whole fish. Occasionally something like tofu or tempeh is in the basket, but not often.

About a year and a half ago, while watching the chef intros at the beginning of a “Chopped” episode, I thought I heard them mention this chef by the name of Rich Landau was chef/owner of a vegan restaurant. Wow, how was he going to compete? If I remember right, the appetizer and entrée rounds mystery baskets didn’t include any animal products, so he was safe, and his dishes really impressed the judges, advancing him to the dessert round, which contained honey (technically, not vegan). Chef Landau reluctantly incorporated the honey into his dessert and ended up winning the ten grand. Impressed, I Googled him and his Philly restaurant and found he had a cookbook coming out. Shortly after, when my mom asked what I wanted for my birthday, I immediately told her Vedge: 100 Plates Large and Small that Redefine Vegetable Cooking.

Not sure why I waited so long to actually make one of the recipes, but judging from how good this first one was, it will definitely not be over a year before I make another one!

The recipe calls for Japanese eggplants and mentions an Italian eggplant can be substituted in a pinch. Surprisingly I could not find Japanese eggplant, so the Italian variety is what I used, and they were still fantastic. This truly is one of those dishes that gives you a crave-generating food memory long after it’s gone.

A couple side-notes: The recipe calls for gochujang, a savory and pungent fermented Korean condiment. It can be found in Asian grocery stores, some well-stocked conventional supermarkets, some natural food stores, and also online (I first wrote about it here). Kimchi is also an essential part of this recipe and many brands contain fish sauce, which, of course, isn’t vegetarian. I have found vegetarian kimchi at Trader Joe’s, but lately they haven’t had it. I did find a veg version at a local grocery store, so just keep looking, you’ll find it eventually, if it’s important for you to have a fish-sauce free variety. Also, because I’m not a big cilantro lover, I used Italian parsley, and it’s a good substitute if you’re cilantro-averse.

Eggplant is one of those “meaty” vegetables that satisfies even carnivores in heartiness, and with the gochujang heat and spicy kimchi funk, non-vegetarians won’t even notice they’re eating vegan. Enjoy!

• Servings: 2-4
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From Vedge: 100 Plates Large and Small that Redefine Vegetable Cooking by Rich Landau & Kate Jacoby

1 tablespoon gochujang

2 teaspoons tamari (wheat-free soy sauce—much better than regular soy sauce)

2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

2 Japanese eggplants, peeled and julienned (substitute 1 Italian eggplant, peeled, seeded and julienned, if necessary)

2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil

½ cup vegan kimchi, drained, chopped fine

1 cup vegan mayo (Earth Balance Mindful Mayo is so good!)

Four to six 6-inch whole wheat flour tortillas

½ cup fresh cilantro leaves (or Italian parsley)

½ cup chopped scallions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Make glaze by whisking together the gochujang, tamari, vinegar, and sugar in a large bowl.

In another large bowl, toss the eggplant in the sesame oil.

Heat a large skillet over high heat. It is important to get a nice sear on the eggplant, so arrange the strips in a single layer across the bottom of the pan and let them get crisp, turning after a couple minutes, cooking for a total of about 5 minutes. You may need to do this in two or more batches, depending on the size of your pan. Transfer the cooked eggplant to the bowl of glaze and repeat until all eggplant is seared.

Toss the crispy eggplant in the glaze, then transfer to a sheet pan. Roast until the glaze bakes onto the eggplant, being careful it doesn’t burn, 5-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, fold the kimchi into the vegan mayo in a small bowl.

Warm the tortillas in the oven, directly on the rack for about 2 minutes.

Assemble the tacos by spreading about 1 tablespoon of the kimchi mayo down the center of each tortilla. Top with a large spoonful of the roasted eggplant, dress with the cilantro and scallions. Serves 2-4.

Baked Eggplant Parmesan

The first time I had eggplant parmesan was about 10 years ago, the night before a 30k race when several fellow runners and I carb-loaded at an Italian restaurant. There weren’t a lot of vegetarian options, so I went for the eggplant dish. It was divine—one that left me craving it long afterwards. And I had a fantastic race the next morning, even finishing so far ahead of the time I suggested my family and friends be there that they hadn’t even arrived yet when I crossed the finish line. The only thing I had done differently than other races and longer training runs was the eggplant parm. That had to be it!

It wasn’t until later that I found out this dish is so good, in part, because of the breading, frying (eggplant absorbs oil like crazy), mozzarella, and of course, the namesake parmesan. It was definitely not something that could be enjoyed often and I can probably count on one hand the times I’ve had it since. And no, I didn’t experience the same fantastic results when I indulged in it the night before a race the next time–unfortunately.

I tend to over-shop at the farmers’ market and sometimes oftentimes need to improvise in order to incorporate everything that looks so good on display, but turns out to be way too much for two people. That’s how this lighter, but still crave-able, version of an Italian restaurant classic came about.

A big pail of roma/plum tomatoes was made into several batches of the fantastic arrabbiata sauce blogged about recently.

My plan was to freeze it all, but I knew it would pair so well with the abundance of eggplant on hand, so I set one jar aside. Baking rather than frying the eggplant would certainly help the calorie count, plus I decided to use 2% cottage cheese in place of mozzarella. You could also use 1%, but I don’t know if fat-free would work. The pasta is optional—leaving it out results in fewer servings, but by no means decreases the feeling of gastronomic satisfaction. Enjoy and cue the Mambo Italiano!

• Servings: 6-8
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Arrabbiata sauce (about 3-4 cups), or other red sauce (marinara, etc.—add 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper if you want to spice the marinara up)

2 medium eggplants (a total of about 2 pounds), peeled and sliced into ½ inch thick rounds

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt

¾ cup white whole wheat flour

Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste (it will be used several different times)

2 eggs, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons water

2 cups panko bread crumbs (whole wheat, if you can find it)

1 ½ cups 1% or 2% cottage cheese (I used 2%)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried parsley, or a tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

½ teaspoon dried oregano, or half a tablespoon fresh

12 oz. whole wheat spaghetti, cooked al dente (optional)

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Fresh basil leaves, for garnish, chopped if large

Place peeled & sliced eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with a teaspoon of kosher salt. Let sit for 30 minutes (this extracts any bitter flavor—some argue it isn’t is really necessary, but if you have the extra half hour, what can it hurt?). Rinse eggplant slices and pat dry with clean kitchen towels.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray two jelly roll pans with olive oil cooking spray.

Set up an assembly line of three shallow bowls. Into the first one, place the white whole wheat flour.

Into the second bowl, lightly beat the two eggs with two tablespoons water.

Into the third, mix the panko bread crumbs with ¼ cup parmesan and a little salt and pepper.

Dredge eggplant slices in flour mixture, then dip in egg, and finally in panko to coat. Place on prepared jelly roll pans. Spray tops of eggplant with olive oil cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes, flip eggplant slices and spray again with olive oil cooking spray, rotate pan, and cook 15 more minutes, until golden brown. Keep oven on at 375 degrees F—you’ve got more baking to do.

Meanwhile, mix cottage cheese, ¼ cup parmesan, garlic, parsley, oregano, and salt & pepper. Set aside.

Pour about 1 cup arrabbiata sauce or other red sauce into bottom of a 13 x 9 baking dish. Layer half the baked eggplant slices over sauce (you may need to crowd them in). Put a dollop of the cottage cheese mixture on each eggplant slice. Drizzle about ¾ cup sauce over this. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices and cottage cheese mixture. Drizzle another ¾ cup sauce over the top. Finish with a sprinkle of the last ½ cup parmesan. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes, rotating pan half way through cooking time. Uncover and cook another 10 minutes until cheese is melted and things are bubbling. Turn oven to broil, and cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes (watch it carefully and remove earlier, if necessary), until the cheese is lightly browned.

If serving with pasta, while the eggplant combo is baking, bring a big pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Cook whole wheat spaghetti to al dente. Drain, return to pan, and drizzle a little (about a teaspoon) olive oil over it and toss using tongs (this will keep it from sticking together). Cover so that it keeps warm until ready to serve.

Toward the end of the eggplant mixture cooking time, heat remaining arrabbiata sauce in a small saucepan and keep warm.

To serve, place a pile of spaghetti (if using) on each plate, and top with a generous portion of the eggplant/sauce/cheese concoction. Drizzle with the warmed sauce and garnish with fresh basil leaves. Serves 6-8 if you include the pasta, 4-6 servings without, depending on the size appetites you’re accommodating.